Railroads

News about Railroads, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 28, 2015

Transportation Sec Anthony Foxx urges New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo and New Jersey Gov Chris Christie to meet with him to discuss their states' roles in proposal, known as Gateway Project, to build new Hudson River rail tunnels. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

Ridership on the nation's Northeast Corridor rail sector has doubled over past 30 years, even as old and overloaded infrastructure has begun to wear out; corridor, which carries some 750,000 passengers each day on Amtrak and other commuter lines, has become subject to regular disruptions and delays that have left passengers exasperated; money for repairs and improvements has not been forthcoming amid partisan gridlock and accusations that Amtrak has neglected its infrastructure. MORE

Jul. 25, 2015

New Jersey Gov Chris Christie will defend decision to block building of new rail tunnel under Hudson River in radio interview, citing cost as justification and saying New Jersey should not bear full cost of a regional project; Christie will promise that should he be elected president, he will push for solution in which both New York and New Jersey will shoulder equal cost burden. MORE

Jul. 25, 2015

Editorial scores New Jersey Gov Chris Christie for shortsighted decision to cancel work on new commuter train under Hudson River in 2010; condemns Christie's rerouting of $3 billion in train tunnel funding to fix New Jersey's roads and bridges as blatantly political move designed to avoid raising taxes; holds Christie's maneuvers have caused congestion throughout entire region and impacted thousands of commuters. MORE

Jul. 23, 2015

Commutes of tens of thousands of New Jersey Transit riders are disrupted for third day in row due to problems with electrical wiring in rail tunnels under Hudson River; disruptions underscore deficiencies in regional rail infrastructure and come on heels of major fare increase; many commuters place blame on failings on New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, who scrapped plans for new rail tunnel in 2010. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

Thirteen Metro-North employees are charged with cheating and helping others cheat on train conductor and engineer exams; 12 are arrested and plead not guilty; four of accused are fired and nine are suspended. MORE

May. 29, 2015

Records and interviews review high level of complaints and lawsuits against railroad police officers, who are paid by private railroads but licensed by states; accusations include assault, racial profiling and harassment that have occurred in environment of near-impunity. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Gail Collins Op-Ed column addresses funding shortfall for Amtrak, which currently requires some $21 billion of infrastructural upkeep on its Northeast corridor; observes Republicans are deeply opposed to increased funding; argues transportation is essential to well-being of nation, and that Amtrak is a worthy cause, even if some of its components lose money. MORE

May. 21, 2015

Global rail travel outside of North America is faster, with trains sometimes traveling at speeds exceeding 200 miles an hour, yet accident rates so low industry rivals safest airlines; aftermath of Amtrak wreck outside Philadelphia, when train was traveling half that speed, brings to light how little money United States invests in its rail lines as compared with other developed countries. MORE

May. 20, 2015

China unveils list of billions of dollars in investment programs and loans for Brazil; Petrobras, entangled in bribery scandal, will get $7 billion in financing; railroad project is envisioned to cut through Amazon rain forest. MORE

May. 19, 2015

Most of nation's railroads are expected to miss deadline to install automatic speed control system by end of 2015, pushing congressional lawmakers to extend deadline; Amtrak, in wake of crash in Philadelphia, pledges to put positive train control in place along entire Northeast Corridor by end of year. MORE

May. 18, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Richard White argues that deaths of eight Amtrak passengers are direct result of America's love-hate relationship with railroads, and intractable problems that have resulted from it; reviews history of public-private rail partnership, expressing hope that accident can produce greater awareness that passenger rail system is dangerously underfunded. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Editorial contends whatever the direct cause of deadly Amtrack derailment in Philadelphia, there can be no question that meager financing has left rail assets in the Northeast Corridor in desperate need of repair; laments irony that House Republicans voted to further cut Amtrak's budget on day of crash; calls on Congress to give rail system financing it deserves. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Transportation Dept official urges New York-area transit leaders to formulate plan to build new rail tunnels under Hudson River; Obama administration considers initiative top priority for rail infrastructure. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

Trucking industry is seeking language in bill renewing federal Highway Trust Fund that would allow bigger and heavier trucks, proposal opposed by railroad industry, with both sides claiming safety issues in support of their argument; railroad industry stands to lose $6 billion annually if heavier trucks are permitted on nation's highways. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

The Upshot; transit agencies nationwide are developing new rail infrastructure instead of bolstering bus services since most riders prefer trains; these same transit agencies could spend fraction of money they are planning to spend on improving bus services and marketing services effectively. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Striking railway workers in Paris, protesting assault on driver by passenger, bring commuter traffic to a stop on Europe's busiest line, leaving thousands of travelers in chaos around city and its suburbs. MORE

Jan. 4, 2015

Group of Bronx residents, train enthusiasts and historians is working to open up some of borough's little-used or abandoned railroad tracks for recreational use MORE

Dec. 9, 2014

Supreme Court hears cases about Internet shopping and railroads; shopping case involves Colorado's effort to collect sales taxes on out-of-state purchases; railroad case concerns challenge by trade group over law it says gives Amtrak too much power over freight railroad firms. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about buying extra ticket at movie theater to have more space, saving a seat on a crowded train for a friend who is running late and paying a tenant's water bill as a landlord because of a malfunctioning toilet. MORE

Nov. 19, 2014

Clarke and Barbara Dunham, creators of model railroad the Station, hope to raise enough money to cover purchase price of four train exhibits, which they were forced to sell at auction after exhibit failed to turn profit; couple made modest bids to buy back trains, which went unchallenged, but must settle tab before Dec 20 deadline; the Station is part of Railroads on Parade, tourist attraction in Pottersville, NY. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, hoping to ease truck traffic on streets and bridges, considers ways to increase number of rail cars crossing over from New Jersey to Brooklyn; expansion of current float-bridge system, where rail cars cross harbor on barges, would be less expensive than building train tunnel. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Doreen Carvajal travel article on traveling by train from Paris to the French Riviera; says she used trip to compose 20-page proposal for nonfiction book. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

Grand ambitions to restore Iraq’s run-down train services to their former glory have been impeded by Islamic State’s advances around the country. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Sri Lanka reopens rail link between Jaffna in the north and rest of the country, event government calls step toward reconciliation and national unity after long civil war. MORE

Oct. 9, 2014

Energy boom that has American rail lines transporting more than a million barrels of oil a day is creating sharp increase in rail freight traffic nationwide; congestion is causing major delays for Amtrak passenger trains and holding up transport of vital consumer and industrial goods. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

Amtrak officials say that they will have to sharply curtail use of rail tunnels leading to New York City for at least a year to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, move that will affect train service for tens of thousands of commuters who ride Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit trains. MORE

Oct. 1, 2014

American Petroleum Institute president Jack N Gerard says that oil and railroad industries are urging federal regulators to allow them up to seven years to retrofit tank cars used to transport highly volatile crude oil. MORE

Sep. 27, 2014

Railroads on Parade, tourist attraction in Pottersville, NY, that features several model railroad exhibits, will be sold in online auction on Nov 11; owners Clarke and Barbara Dunham, and their partner, John Couri, hope a wealthy patron will buy the model trains and keep them intact. MORE

Sep. 26, 2014

Portal Bridge in New Jersey, 100-year-old structure blamed for frequent delays on state's Northeast Corridor stretch of railroad, is in desperate need of replacement; Federal transportation officials have estimated the cost of rebuilding it at $900 million, none of which has been allocated to date. MORE

Sep. 22, 2014

Linz Am Rhein Journal; Germany's Rhine Valley, vital stretch along Europe’s most important north-south rail route, is being overrun with train traffic, spoiling the quality of life for residents in a region famous for its natural beauty; residents of Linz am Rhein complain of noise, dust and lost sleep; 10 percent increase in traffic is expected in 2015. MORE

Aug. 26, 2014

Energy exploration in North Dakota is creating a crisis for farmers whose grain shipments have been held up by vast new movement of oil by rail; Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, North Dakota's largest railroad, reportedly has a backlog of 1,336 rail cars waiting to ship grain and other products; farmers say backlog is only going to get worse, leading to million of dollars in losses from agricultural waste. MORE

Aug. 10, 2014

Corey Kilgannon Character Study column on Max Dixon, handyman and hobbyist who has become known as the Train Man in South Ozone Park, Queens, because of extensive model train system he has set up in his backyard. MORE

Jul. 31, 2014

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column; ghost rail bed left over from Long Island Rail Road Rockaway Beach line, which runs for three-and-a-half miles between Rego Park and Ozone Park, Queens, is subject of debate over what to do with it; some advocates suggest restarting train line along tracks, while another group imagines public park in spirit of successful High Line in Manhattan. MORE

Jul. 27, 2014

Five-mile stretch of railroad track along Amtrak's Northeast Rail Corridor cuts through some of Philadelphia's most impoverished areas; City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Project has mounted seven enormous murals by Berlin-based visual artist Katharina Grosse along the route in effort to alter the blighted space; installation is first of its kind along the corridor. MORE

Jul. 26, 2014

China plans to extend by 2020 railroad on high trans-Himalayan plateau of Tibet to borders of India, Bhutan and Nepal. MORE

Jul. 24, 2014

Federal regulators say they will require railroads and oil shippers to use stronger tank cars to transport crude oil within two years; new rules are in response to spate of derailments and spills involving oil trains, and they lay out speedier timetable than initially expected to phase out old cars. MORE

Jul. 14, 2014

Destruction of light-rail stations in Jerusalem by rioters in Palestinian neighborhoods, while a minor casualty compared with mounting death toll in Gaza, is still laden with symbolic meaning; rail was once celebrated, at least by Israeli Jews, as artery of coexistence in otherwise hostile, divided city. MORE

Jun. 19, 2014

National railway strike in France has stranded thousands and exasperated millions more, including high school students trying to reach their nationwide graduation test sites; strike is seen as a crucial test of Pres Francois Hollande to hang tough in face of criticism from left-leaning opposition, especially labor unions, and ensuing strains in his Socialist Party. MORE

Jun. 15, 2014

Rail workers' strike in Philadelphia ends after Pres Obama, at request of Pennsylvania Gov Tom Corbett, signs executive order creating presidential emergency board to help resolve the labor dispute; trains had stopped running on 13 regional rail lines, including to Philadelphia International Airport. MORE

May. 30, 2014

Editorial urges Obama administration to act swiftly to implement strong rules to ensure that railroad tank cars filled with combustible crude oil are safe; notes that main railway lines in New York State have become superhighways for such cars, and that there have been several deadly accidents; commends Gov Andrew Cuomo for attempting to address threat, but maintains that only strong federal rules will result in safer system. MORE

May. 26, 2014

Damascus Journal; Syria's conflict has shut down expansion of historic Hejaz railway station in Damascus and disrupted rail links that once connected country to rest of Middle East; destruction of country's railroads has for many come to symbolize its shattered ambitions and isolation from rest of world. MORE

May. 23, 2014

Editorial contends blunder made by French railway operator SNCF, in which it ordered 341 new-generation rail cars that are too wide to pass through 1,300 older stations, will cost tens of millions of euros to fix; maintains Americans angered by dysfunction in their own institutions can at least find solace that bureaucratic dysfunction knows no boundaries. MORE

May. 22, 2014

France's national railway operator, SNCF, spent to billions of dollar to buy 341 new-generation regional trains, only to discover they are too wide for 15 percent of country's stations; government has ordered an investigation. MORE

May. 18, 2014

Freda Moon travel article on train trip, between Chicago and New Orleans in restored Pullman rail cars, harking back to the age of grand rail journeys. MORE

May. 11, 2014

Hundreds of Central American migrants trying to make their way to the United States have reportedly been stranded in Mexico after the freight-train line they ride, labeled the Beast, began enforcing a long-ignored ban on stowaways; many of the migrants have ended up in already crowded shelters, which are reporting populations swelling beyond capacity. MORE

Apr. 27, 2014

Gideon Lewis-Kraus travel essay recalls attempt at reconstructing contemporary version of old Orient Express route through Europe; new overland route cuts across Continent, offering a chance to see Europe as a continuous, unfolding expanse. MORE